When He's No Longer Just A Friend
by Miss-Ecchi
Summary: "I called him a 'Handsome Kitty'. HANDSOME ALYA. HANDSOME! What's worse is that I'm letting him get away with kissing my hand and that's all I seem to see every time I close my eyes and I can't even-" That sealed the deal for Adrien and now he was 110% sure that his theory was correct. "You like him."


_**A/N:**__ I love how during my hiatus, on my birthday, in the middle of uni coursework, I have the urge to write again ahahah. Logic amirite? I apologise to my readers on FFN whom are still waiting for a new chapter of Martyrdom ;; I've got the basic plot already written down for the chapter but I'd rather wait and get my motivation back to finish it rather than rush it and let you all down ya know?_

_Anyways, I've gotten sucked back into Miraculous Ladybug at the end of 2018 and fuuuuuck my obsession has gotten just as bad as my current one for the Sonic franchise lel. I really wanted to make the following story a mini manga strip but lo and behold, time ain't on my side ;-; Anywho, no more rambling. Let's get on with the show~!_

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**_Disclaimer - Nineteen and still own my fucking virginity smh smh smh..._**

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"Psst...Marinette? You're glaring at your desk again." The beautifully tanned girl with ombre hair, chastised her half asian friend teasingly. Alya playfully poked Marinette's puffed up cheeks till the pouting one of the two exhaled sharply, only to slam her head back down on the desk with a groan.

This grasped the attention of both their seat neighbours in front: Nino and Adrien. The duo grinned at Marinette's comical actions and then eyed at Alya, beckoning her to explain what's going on. The curvy girl shrugged her shoulders as if it say _'My guess is as good as yours...'_. Alya stroked Marinette's hair, letting the jet black tendrils slip through her fingers. She cooed to her best friend, asking what's wrong, finally getting the small teen to sit up again.

"A-aaand she's alive! Now tell us girl, what's bugging you?" Although the question was asked innocently, Marinette couldn't help but let her lips twitch at a particular word that relates to her alter-ego, a specific word that her _oh-so-lovely_ partner would use in his punning schemes on a daily basis. She forced that thought to go as soon as it came in order to keep her sanity. Before she could answer with a half-baked excuse such as the extra labour at her family's bakery or some next design she's planning on creating, her trio of friends leaned in suddenly.

"The truth this time dude," Nino flicked Marinette's forehead affectionately, earning a cute glare from her and a chuckle from the brunette and the blonde.  
"You've been acting quite out of it Marinette," Adrien added. His lips were upturned in a sweet smile he reserved just for the raven girl whenever she's in a predicament (though, he's guiltily flashed the same smile to his Lady whenever she's not looking but sue him).

Marinette's heart skipped a beat from his warm words and she couldn't help but relax now. Once upon a time, she would have answered with a series of mismatched words and sentences and then flee without a trace; now, Marinette and Adrien have formed a friendship as strong and unique as hers and Alya's or even his and Nino's. Though, her feelings have gotten stronger for him to the point where it'd cause her heart to ache that she swore that the organ was only loyal to her ray of sunshine.

She was proven otherwise and thus, Marinette was brought back to her current dilemma and her eyebrows furrowed again. It's not like she can tell them the whole truth if she wanted to. She can't even figure out the problem herself!

Clearing her throat and thanking the stars that Mademoiselle Bustier was currently out of the class, fetching the paperwork that's on the other side of the _collège, _leaving the class on their own to chat with one another.

"I have a friend you see...who has this problem- wha- don't look at me like that! It's not me!" Marinette couldn't keep up with the facade as the trio before her raised their eyebrows simultaneously at her bullshit. "Okay! Okay...so! I've been having this problem and I think it's been going on for a few months now? It's only recently I've noticed that...well...erm..." Adrien's piercing green orbs caused Marinette to falter midway her sentence and this time it's because of how reminiscent they are of _his _eyes.

"It would help if you could tell us what the problem is," Alya prompted, already in interrogating mode.

"It's not as easy as it seems! _Ehem_\- anyways. I have a really good friend- stop giving me the look guys- this friend is involved in my problem," Marinette sassed and the three teens around her relaxed again before leaning in closer, as if she was sharing a secret. "You guys don't know who he is but he's one of my bestest friends out there, could probably rival Alya hahah- don't kill me girl, hah! But anyways, he's...he's proclaimed his love for me many, many times and err-"

"This friend of yours isn't bothering you is he?" Adrien remarked icily, surprising the group and even himself with how protective he sounded.  
"No no! Not even close. Maybe in the beginning I found him and his words and his terrible puns like a cliched disney scenario but I grew to like that. I literally owe him my life and am super happy to have met him..." A delicate smile was adorned on Marinette's lips and her azure eyes twinkled with such intense emotion, taking the trio aback.

Adrien couldn't help the gnawing feeling that clung inside his chest like a parasite and his knuckles whitened. _'Calm down Agreste...you love Ladybug so don't throw a hissy fit if Marinette seems to be crushing on someone else! She didn't even say he's a crush so don't jump to conclusions...even if she's so amazing...'_.

"However, even though I like someone else, for some reason recently, I keep feeling and acting weird around my friend! It's driving me crazy guys and I have no idea what it is and why it's happening." Marinette cried out dramatically as she shook Alya by the shoulders.

"Weird as in...?" Nino cocked his head, beckoning the Asian girl to elaborate.

"Whenever I'm around him, I get this warm fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach. My heart beats so fast around him that I end up stuttering and I can't think straight! I don't understa-aaaand..." As the girl ranted, the clawing feeling within Adrien's chest changed into something else, a feeling that he can't seem to pinpoint.

_'Now that I think about it, my lady has been acting a little off too. Ever since I gave her that red rose, she's began to muddle up her sentences from time to time and I'd even spot her staring at me discreetly. Also...didn't Marinette always used to act so shy and all that whenever we talked back when I transferred here? I wonder...'_ As Adrien began to muse, joining the dots that he failed to connect in the past, Marinette carried on spilling.

"I called him a _'Handsome Kitty'_. HANDSOME ALYA. **HANDSOME**! What's worse is that I'm letting him get away with kissing my hand and that's all I seem to see every time I close my eyes and I can't even-" That sealed the deal for Adrien and now he was 110% sure that his theory was correct.

"You like him." The blonde stated with a smirk, leaning into Marinette's face fluidly, making her cower in her seat whilst Nino and Alya watched their interaction with glee. It took a second for the dark skinned couple to connect the dots too, having spent enough time with the Miraculous and the Parisian dual heroes to clamp onto the context of Marinette's story as well as Adrien's change of mood. It took everything for the journalist to not scream and having Nino's hand clench hers helped calm her down in order to maintain Marinette's secret.

"What!? No! I like you- I mean I like SOMEONE else! You can't like two people at the same time hahaha, ridiculous! Right Alya? Alya?" The brunette simply wore a sly smile that matched Nino's and Adrien's, sharing the inside joke that the poor girl seemed to be missing out on. For the smartest person on the team, Marinette did seem to have her dumb moments.

"Yes you can Marinette," The Chat Noir within him slipped out so effortlessly, it was a crime. Adrien sat on the edge of the girls' desk, entwining his fingers with the designer's as his smirk broadened.

"He's right girl~" Alya cackled.

"B-B-But he's just a friend...right? I've always had this soft spot for this idiot because he helped me become the person I am today so...I'm pretty sure I'm just super grateful and it's only now that I'm filled to the brim with gratitude...right?" Marinette's heart was now ricocheting in her chest, screaming at her stubbornness to accept the truth. Her traitorous friends only grinned wider than Lucifer himself.

"My Lady, if you've always had this soft spot for him, _purrr_-haps it's a _paw-sibility_ that you've liked him from the start," With that said and done, Adrien snuck a kiss on Marinette's cheek and then slipped off the desk, swaggering back to his chair with a victorious smirk. Casually, he looked back, his smirk only growing as Marinette was still frozen in position. One hand on her cheek where he kissed her and her eyes ready to fall out of their sockets.

"Great going Romeo, you've killed my best friend." Alya snickered, poking Marinette a few times only to receive no response. She then narrowed her hazel eyes at the guilty looking cat boy. "Fix her, _Catwoman_."

"O-oooh what a _cat-astrophe_! No worries, I guess I'll have to kiss my princess again to snap her out of her _cat-atonic _state." He didn't even need to move because Marinette snapped back into life and she stood up abruptly, hands slamming down on the desk and her eyes narrowing to a death glare towards her green-eyed prey.

"I. Am. Going. To. Kill. You." Mari's porcelain skin was flushed brighter than Nathaniel's hair and her nails dug into the decayed wood. Alya sat back to watch the show. Nino flinched away, tucking his hat closer to his face like a turtle. Adrien simply stood up and crossed his arms, his face still carrying that shit eating grin.

"But you love me Bugaboo~"

"I'm going to SKIN you ALIVE."

"I love you too Buginette~"

"GET OVER HERE CAT! I'M GONNA WRAP YOU UP IN MY YOYO AND DANGLE YOU UPSIDE DOWN ON THE EIFFEL TOWER WHERE ANANSI CAN DO ME A FAVOUR AND EAT YOU!"

"Our three kids and pet cat wouldn't like that so _au revoir_!" With a speed only matched with a fleeing cat, Adrien darted out of the door with Marinette hot on his heels.

"WHO SAYS I'LL BE HAVING KIDS WITH YOU!? AND WE'RE GETTING A HAMSTER! NOT A CAT! YOU HEAR ME..."

Their banter trailed as the teens were further and further away from the classroom, leaving behind a cackling Nino and Alya and an amused class. Not a typical Lundi morning but probably the best that the class have witnessed so far.

"Hmmph! Should have known that Dupain-Cheng is the reason why my precious Adrikins spends his free time monkeying around in atrocious leather and cat ears rather than spending time with me, the Queen Bee!" Chloe simply scoffed quietly and went back to filing her nails, paying no attention to Sabrina's knowing smile. She _so _was rooting for them.

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_**A/N: **__That's the end of my first ML fanfic hheuhueuhe...it's almost 3am and I'm gonna snooze now. I'll reread this tomorrow for the umpteenth time to check for spellings and grammatical errors. English isn't my first language lel but I hope you guys enjoyed it! Fave? Follow? Review~_

_Jaa ne~_


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